Moving to ceiling & sheetrock on Monday. Glass & septic need to happen soon. Shares desperately needed, as well as other steps that cost nothing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Spare bedroom. Insulation and wiring in.

I thought I was tired last night; I had no idea. I've relapsed completely (not a big surprise, given the fact that I've been pushing it for so many, many months now), and tonight will be the coldest night of the season thus far, so I'm in and will likely go to bed early.

But I also need to try to kind of sort out the timeline, to the extent that I can do so from this vantage point. It changes daily, and the weather's not helping, so what it looks like tonight may wind up being very different from how it looks by the weekend, much less into next week. I can't keep pace with either the changes or the constantly-rising costs, so I'm going to have to push this and make a complete pain in the ass of myself, because, well, I have no choice at this point.

What I had thought we could put toward the glass has instead had to go toward interior work: wiring, insulation (which costs a fricking fortune), miscellaneous stuff, and, of course, the never-ending labor costs. Had the weather held out just a little longer, they would've been plastering this week, but instead we're onto the interior work.

We have to pay the balance on the glass in the next week or two, and I have no idea how we're gonna manage it. We also have to arrange for the septic excavation and installation, and I have no idea how we're gonna manage that, either. But assuming current patterns, the ground will not be frozen solid (at least, not solidly enough to stymie a backhoe) and if we don't get it in before the end of the year, we won't be moving in until late spring, most likely. If we can get it in before year's end, we could probably get the plumbing finished off and get moved in sometime in January. No, the exterior wouldn't be finished, but it would be habitable. The prospect of avoiding an additional four bitterly cold months in this tin can is a very welcome one, but it won't happen unless we can get both the glass paid and installed and the septic system excavated and installed.

Next week, the plumbers will be here to do the interior rough-in, which also means we'll need bathroom fixtures sooner rather than later. The crew will be installing the upstairs ceiling, and then moving to sheetrock (also hideously expensive). We had already put down a hefty deposit on the plumbers, but we're going to have to divert funds to the sheetrock to keep the guys moving forward. Don't ask about my blood pressure right now.

We need consistent daily shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, and also via the widget code under item #2 at the "Other Ways to Help" link, which gives you this:

I know folks are tapped out, worried about the holidays, even more worried about happens January 20th. But the shares cost absolutely nothing, and it gets the link in front of a far wider audience. Another thing that costs nothing, but will go far toward helping us with regard to Wings's work? Sharing his site, and offering up a testimonial. Many, many people have shared them with me over the years, but now we need folks to be willing to make them public (they can be anonymized via initials or pseudonyms) to help us expand the reach of Wings's work. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

Finally, people contemplating holiday commissions should get hold of me now. Tomorrow is December 1st, which means Wings effectively has three weeks remaining to get works designed, created, and shipped in time for holiday giving.

One last thing: I mentioned above that the plumbers are coming, and bathroom-fixture purchases are in the offing. To that end, I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. No, there's no Lowes here in Taos, but there's one an hour-plus away in Española. Less obnoxious than Home Depot, and an actual selection and discount pricing that are not available here in town. It's by far the most cost-efficient way for us to buy the fixtures and appliances and sundry other items needed to make a house habitable.

Many thanks to everyone for helping us get this far. We have a long way to go, but we have a few really big tasks to push through that, if accomplished, will allow us to spend the bulk of the harsh winter months in an actual home again, instead of this drafty, uninsulated, unprotected tin can. Please help us push through this complex compound stage and try at least to get housed safely inside by the first weeks of the new year.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.